Digital Skills Scenario of the Workforce to Promote Digital Economy in Thailand under & Post COVID19 Pandemic

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume V, Issue X, October 2021 | ISSN 2454–6186

Digital Skills Scenario of the Workforce to Promote Digital Economy in Thailand under & Post COVID19 Pandemic

Kamolrat Intaratat
Associate Professor- School of Communication Arts, Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University, Thailand

ABSTRACT: Thailand’s Digital Skills Scenario of the Workforce to Promote Digital Economy Under & Post COVID-19 Pandemic is a qualitative research that involve an e-interview and desk research focused on the ecosystem of workforces empowerment in Thailand relevant to digital skills to serve the digital economy. The e-Interviews have been made to 45 interviewees who are urban migrant job seekers, fresh graduated students, private sectors, business associations, and government agencies under the current situation where COVID-19 pandemic and the technologies disruption to shape the new future jobs. Its objectives are to study 1) the scenario of workforces under the digital economy affected from COVID-19 pandemic and the technology disruption relevant with digital skills in Thailand; 2) the scenario of the digital skills relevant to the future jobs skills among all the workforces in Thailand; and 3) the government’s policy relevant digital re-skill-up-skilling among the workforces for the current demanding jobs and post COVID-19.
Findings are 1) the scenario of workforces relevant with digital literacy and digital skills among all the marginal workers from selected ASEAN countries found affected by the pandemic as well as technology disruption resulted in a pattern of businesses shifting from the formal sector to the informal sectors that affected to most of the low-mid skilled. The future of work has already arrived for a large majority of the online white-collar workforce. eighty-four percent of employers are set to rapidly digitalized working processes, including a significant expansion of remote work with its trend to change, currently 44% of workforces operates remotely; 2) the scenario of the digital literacy and digital skills relevant to the current and the future jobs skills among all the marginal workers found the top emerging jobs are data analysts, data scientists, digital marketing specialist, software and application developer, youtubers and start-ups. All kinds of administrative jobs, secretaries, accounting, book keeping, payroll clerk, HR would be declining. Most of the marginal workers have low -mid digital skills such as Microsoft Office, digital marketing, photoshop, social media, content creating, video editing. Workers are looking forward to re-skills in all related digital skills ranking from fundamental to mid and high skills such as data analytic, data science, software development, web development, cybersecurity, AI and programing which concerned as a necessary profile that one must have in-depth knowledge in order to attract all the demanding jobs; and 3) the government’s policy relevant to support any digital re-skill, up-skilling among all the workforces including the marginal workers to serve well with all demanding skills of the future jobs found similar in 1) accelerate workforce digital competency by partnering with private and industry sectors through TVET training system; 2) working with industry leaders to revamp national curriculums via digital learning pathways and emerging skillsets. The PPP strategy must be used for knowledge transfer and support to building Digital Ecosystem.

Keywords: digital skills, digital economy, Thai workforces, COVID-19 pandemic

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